PUBLIC ISSUES Community Service Program

THEME: "Women Veterans"

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GFWC 2018-2020 Initiative

GFWC is asking every GFWC club to include one project devoted to women in the military, even if they are deployed or serving stateside. GFWC's goal is participation from 1,000 clubs!

Let's Help Them Make This Goal

Conduct programs & projects to recognize and honor all veterans.

Volunteer at your local USO office

Provide resources to support military families.

Assist and advocate for severely wounded, ill or injured soldiers, veterans, and their families.

I want to bring Awareness, Assistance, and Aspiration for these lady Veterans. Did you know that Women Veterans are more likely to be homeless than their male counterparts? Over 2,000,000 women have served with honor since the Revolutionary War. They have fulfilled their obligations to their country; we now need to support them during their time of need. The following Web site (FINAL SALUTE, INC) is a wonderful site to help you understand what they go through. The web site is www.finalsaluteinc.org

Let’s work in our communities to see what we can do as Federation Woman to make it better for these Veterans.

Fly your American Flag

Remember to fly your AMERICAN FLAG all year, and buy ones that are made in America. Did you know that in June 1813, Major George Armistead took command of Fort McHenry in Baltimore? Armistead ordered that a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance” be made for the fort. On August 19, Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore delivered the flag. It required 266 yards of red, white and blue English woolen bunting for the stripes and about 10 yards of white cotton for the stars, which measured 16 inches from tip to tip. Pickersgill charged the U.S. Army $405.90 for the flag.

Between August and September of 1814, the British sent 16 ships to attack Fort McHenry.

Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer and amateur poet, watched the attack from the

British admiral’s flagship, where he had been detained by the enemy. At dawn on September

14, the British tapered off their bombardment of the fort. Key looked through a telescope and

saw from eight miles away the U.S. Flag.

He started to write the “The Deference of Fort McHenry,” which he later completed at the

Baltimore hotel after he was released by the British. He set it to music written for a 1778

English social club song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.” Printers changed the title to

“The Star-Spangled Banner.” The flag remained flying at the fort for another two years.

Ways to Support Public Issues CSP

The program focuses on Citizenship, Military Personnel, Emergency & Disaster Preparedness and Safety & Crime Prevention. Below is a list of ideas on how your club can support.

Citizenship

Celebrate Patriotism

Visit, volunteer and help preserve historic sites, monuments & homes

Provide copies of the Constitution to new citizens or school classrooms

Work with local agencies to provide community training in disaster preparedness

Participate in the nation "In Case Of Emergency" program (ICE) by distributing brochures and information on disaster supply kit needs.

Safety & Crime Prevention

Educate club members & local communities on home, transportation (bicycles, rail, train, and air) and internet safety.

Provide programs, tools and training.

Urge members and town residents to help first responders identify health issues, allergies, or medical problems so accident victims can be treated by keeping medical & emergency information in an envelope with a big red X on it in their glove compartments of their cars and keep important phone numbers, family members' name, important documents in a fire proof safe or safety deposit box.

Learn first aid and CPR for children and adults.

PARTNERS

SEW MUCH COMFORT

The Mission of Sew Much Comfort is to provide free adaptive (Velcro closures) clothing to support our wounded service members from all branches of the Military and National Guard. Many injuries require large fixators, prosthetics, cast too bulky to fit under ordinary clothing. Without our adaptive clothing wounded service members are limited to wearing hospital gowns during their recovery. Sew Much Comfort is the only military support charity providing free adaptive clothing. Visit their website to learn how your club can help – www.SewMuchcomfort.org. and under “Volunteer” click “GFWC” in drop down menu.

UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS (USO)

The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families. It is not part of the U.S. government but recognized by the Department of Defense. There are more than 160 center locations around the world.

The following are some of the programs and ways you can support the USO.

United Through Reading’s Military Program –Deployed parents are videotaped reading a book to their child. They are sent to the child back home so they can watch Mom or Dad read a bedtime story.

Operation Phone Home

USO distributes phone cards to individual service members and offers a Private Telephone Network providing dedicated phone and Internet service at our Centers located around the globe.

Contact the USO for more information on how you can participate in support of our troops and their families. www.USO.org

Final Salute INC

The missions of Final Salute Inc. is to provide homeless women Veterans with safe and suitable housing. Some female Veterans receive VA compensation, however, in most cases, the compensation received from the VA does not cover all associated costs of living. Final Salute Inc, is the only non=profit organization that offers housing assistance exclusively to homeless female Veterans. www.finalsaluteinc.org